No jail for Oswestry cleaner who stole £33,000 of jewellery from disabled employer and sold it for £130
A cleaner who stole jewellery worth tens of thousands of pounds from her disabled employer and sold some of it at a market for £130 has avoided jail.
Caroline Carkeet-James, 46, was employed as a cleaner for two hours a week at the home of a woman with mobility issues and her husband.
When they went on holiday in September last year, Carkeet-James was given a set of keys to the property in a village near Oswestry.
Shrewsbury Crown Court was told the female victim had removed several items of jewellery with both great financial and sentimental value, including a wedding ring from 1953 and cufflinks given to her husband for his 60th birthday, and put them in what she thought was a safe spot in the bedroom.
Upon their return from holiday, the court was told they had discovered the items were missing and Carkeet-James had been the only person with access to the house.
Prosecuting, Marc Davies said: "Through an agency, the victims had employed the defendant as a domestic assistant cleaner.
"All the items have varying financial value and sentimental value.
"In terms of financial value of the items, it is difficult to put a value on it.
"There has been an estimate from a local jeweller which is based on descriptions of the items and using current replacement prices the jeweller suggests a replacement value of £33,000.
"It is a serious breach of trust. The giving of keys and the allowing into the home while they were away puts the level of trust higher than many other cases.
"The defendant was interviewed and denied going into the draws. When it was put to her she was the only person it could have been, she accepted stealing some of the items.
"Those she could remember were sold to somebody on Oswestry market for £130."
In mitigation, Jason Pegg said his client had a clinical diagnosis of depression and at the time of the offence was acting during a time of a heightened period of emotional instability as her daughter was starting secondary school four years after her own mother had died.
He said: "She stands before the court completely ashamed and embarrassed by her actions of September last year.
"It was that shame and genuine remorse that saw her concede during interview she took the items then pleaded guilty before magistrates."
Sentencing Carkeet-James to two years imprisonment suspended for two years, Judge Jim Tindal said he was keeping in mind the impact the sentence would have on other innocent parties in the case, particularly Carkeet-James' children.
He said: "You were trusted by them and had established a relationship.
"When they went away they gave you their keys. I can't think of a greater degree of trust.
"What did you do with that trust? For reasons not entirely clear - and I accept you were influenced by your state of mind - you decided to take, perhaps on the spur of the moment, very valuable property.
"It has had an impact on both the victims and they feel their home has been violated.
"If you commit another offence you will be going to prison, children or not."
Carkeet-James was also ordered to pay £10,000 compensation at a minimum of £100 per month, complete 20 days rehabilitation activities and carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
